PIB ponders coalition with Muslim parties

PIB ponders coalition with Muslim parties

A'an Suryana, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Overshadowed by lack of popular support, several tiny political
parties look set to cooperate in the 2004 General Election, an
economist turned politician said on Monday.

The parties in question are the Justice Party (PK), the United
Development Party of Reform (PPP Reformasi), the Crescent Star
Party (PBB), the Nation's Democratic Party (PDB) and the soon-to-
be established New Indonesia Party (PIB). The first three are
Muslim-based parties.

"A date has been set for a meeting, which will materialize in
the near future," Sjahrir, who chairs the Alliance for New
Indonesia, the embryo of the new party PIB, said in a press
conference here.

The press conference was held to assess the performance of the
current government over the past year.

The alliance, a rainbow social-political grouping, is slated
to declare itself a political party on Sept. 23.

Sjahrir said it was too early to ascertain a coalition of the
parties during the meeting.

"The meeting is merely aimed at discussing a strategy ahead of
the 2004 General Election," said Sjahrir. "But it will be useful
to strengthen ties among the political parties. If closer ties
could be maintained, it would be easy for us to form a coalition
before the general election."

Sjahrir had earlier expressed interest in joining forces with
PPP Reformasi, which is chaired by popular preacher Zainuddin
M.Z.

The coalition could be seen as an anticipatory move to the
prospective political party law, which restricts the next
election to parties that have won at least 2 percent of votes or
10 seats in the House of Representatives in the 1999 election.
Those parties will be asked to coalesce or form new parties to
contest the election.

If the law is passed by the House by the end of the year at
the latest, PBB and PK will be barred from participating in the
next general election.

Sjahrir said he was doubtful if PIB could win enough votes to
win House seats, saying the prospective party had no prominent
individuals who could attract votes.